Sports

Actually Pete Carroll had the right inclination to pass on second down with under 30 seconds to play and only one time out. But the better call would have been to have Wilson roll out and have the option of running, throwing for a receiver in the corner, or throwing it away. The inside slant pass was the poorest option. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving jerk than Carroll, who »

Fifty years ago today, a sold-out Cole Field House at the University of Maryland hosted what is probably the most famous high school basketball game ever played. It featured Lew Alcindor’s Power Memorial of New York City against DeMatha of Hyattsville, Maryland. DeMatha won, 46-43. The Washington Post has a good article about the game that draws on the recollections of key DeMatha participants. Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), accommodating as »

Is Deflate-gate the dumbest story in the history of sports, or what? I suppose it is remotely possible that someone associated with the Patriots might have deflated some footballs, or perhaps it was sabotage by the Colts–after all, the Patriots played much better after halftime when the balls were re-inflated. But speculation about such skulduggery is hardly necessary. The NFL has been closemouthed about the facts its investigation has revealed »

As of today, more Americans can tell you the NFL’s rule for the inflation of footballs than know how many Congressmen are in the House of Representatives. And which was more eagerly awaited, this year’s State of the Union speech or Bill Belichick’s press conference this morning? It isn’t even close. The extent to which Americans’ interest in sports exceeds their interest in politics is extraordinary. Over the years, some »

Congratulations to Ohio State on winning the national championship last night (though for the record I detest the entire BCS derangement of college football of the last decade). I’m reminded that Harry Jaffa taught at Ohio State in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and was friendly with Hayes. He told this story upon Hayes’s passing: In 1956 Ohio State was placed on a one-year probation because of Woody’s having »

Why not end the year with a soccer post? This one will cover (1) the world player of the year award, (2) the EPL title race, and (3) Everton. 1. Three players are finalists for world player of the year, to be announced next month. The three are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Manuel Neuer. Ronaldo has been phenomenal this year for Real Madrid, but did not shine at the »

Tomorrow, the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys meet in the final game of the regular NFL season. Two years ago, these teams also played in the regular season finale. Then, first place in the NFC East was on the line. The Redskins, led by their brilliant rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, prevailed. Tomorrow, nothing much is on the line. The Cowboys have already won the NFC East; the Redskins »

In a college course on the literature of the Renaissance we read Montaigne’s essay “That to philosophize is to learn to die.” Talking with me about it outside of class, the professor remarked that he thought participation in sports taught the wisdom of Montaigne. He recalled watching a Dartmouth team being trounced on the field, yet continuing to perform intensely with a kind of detachment reflected in Montaigne’s teaching. He »

The indefinite suspension of Ray Rice, the NFL running back who brutally assaulted his then-fiance, now wife, has been lifted on appeal as the result of an arbitrator’s decision. Rice has been reinstated by the League and is free to sign with any team. The appeal was decided by Barbara Jones, a former U.S. District Court Judge, who served as the arbitrator. As reported by ESPN, Jones ruled that the »

We have written from time to time about various aspects of the Penn State child molestation scandal invovling one-time assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Our focus has been on the aftermath of that scandal, specifically the rush to judgment against coach Joe Paterno and the overly harsh penalities levied against the Penn State football program by the NCAA. That the NCAA overreached in penalizing Penn State is now evident from »

Most of those who followed the election campaign carefully are aware that Ed Gillespie ran an ad about the Washington Redskins name-change issue during the broadcast of the Monday Night Football game between the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. I missed the ad because I was in Italy. But my daughter, who analyzes public opinion for a living, told me about it when I returned. She thought it was a »

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke at the Association of the U.S. Army conference last month. According to the Daily Beast, he was critical of President Obama’s “no boots on the ground” approach to combatting ISIS. Coach K reportedly stated: I know it’s upsetting to many of you when hear ‘no boots on the ground.’ It upsets me too, because that’s like saying I’m not going to play two of »

Today the Minnesota Vikings played the Washington Redskins here in Minnesota. Before the game, several thousand protesters turned out at the University of Minnesota to demand that Redskins owner Dan Snyder change the team’s name. Among them was old-timer Clyde Bellecourt: “We are standing up against this monster team that is here today and to this Jewish person who should know a little bit about genocide,” Bellecourt said in a »

The answer, of course, is no. If anything, the Obama administration seems to be pushing the NFL to prevent young black men who have been convicted of no crime from earning a living. But my question isn’t frivolous, given the EEOC’s litigation policy towards employers that deny employment opportunities to blacks who get into trouble with the law. Indeed, the EEOC has no tolerance at all for employers who exclude »

CNN reports that Chuck Hagel has asked his staff for detailed information about the U.S. military’s relationships with the National Football League in the wake of the controversy over how the league is handling domestic-abuse allegations against players. With the U.S. supposedly ramping for a war against ISIS, you would think that Hagel has better things to worry about. But politically correct posturing is always a priority for Team Obama. »

Oh yeah, you knew this was coming: our hero Remy Munasifi and our pals at Reason.TV out this morning with a 90 second video that combines mockery of Obama’s unserious ISIS “strategy” and the NFL’s timorousness. Enjoy: »

In writing about the NFL’s handling of the Ray Rice matter, my position has been that the commissioner should not be meting out discipline to players for personal misconduct. Non-football related misbehavior should be an issue for the player’s employer (his team) and, in appropriate cases, law enforcement. It also seems to me that if the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hadn’t taken to issuing discipline for personal conduct, he would »